Essential tips when recruiting a web content agency

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 70% of B2B marketers have decided that investing in high quality content is the way forward for their business in 2017.

It certainly makes sense, as it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to drive valuable traffic and engagement to your website.

If you’re one of those 70% you may be looking at recruiting a web content agency in order to develop a high standard of web content to scale, and take care of all the hard work for you. But in such a saturated industry, how do you determine which agency is right for you? Read on to discover our top tips for recruiting the right web content agency…

Establish your own needs

A vast amount of content types fall under the umbrella of ‘web content’, making it unrealistic to find a single agency that excels in all of them. Therefore, the first step to recruiting the agency that is best suited to meet your needs is to establish exactly what your needs are and then researching agencies that have a strong track record of delivering similar projects.

For instance, are you looking for well-crafted evergreen content or visually enticing infographics? Short, snappy video content or informative product descriptions? The individual needs of your business will help to guide your search for the right content agency and allow you to focus your attention on those who specialise in the types of content you’re looking for.

Seek out agencies with relevant experience

Previous experience is already likely to feature high on the list of qualities that you’re looking for in a web content agency, yet overlooking whether the experience is directly relevant to your industry has the potential to cause problems down the line.

No business should be paying an agency for the time taken to research their industry. Instead, it’s crucial to recruit somebody that already has an understanding of the way that businesses like yours work. Look for those that have direct experience in your specific field, while one that boasts team members with relevant qualifications and inside knowledge may be an even better match.

Pay attention to case studies and testimonials

There’s no better way of establishing the quality of work produced by an agency than by looking at previous examples and case studies. It’s a great way of ensuring that claims made by an agency stand up in the real world, as well as looking to see whether they have an overall style and tone. If they have a particular style that fits with your business then that’s a plus, but the best content agencies will change the tone to fit with different clients’ tone of voice and branding guidelines.

Once you’ve taken a look at their catalogue of past clients, try reaching out and speaking to those that have worked with them to gain an idea of how the agency is regarded. After all, these are the people best positioned to tell you what it’s like to be one of their clients.

Find an agency that will work as part of your brand

Small or large, local or international, there are a huge variety of web content agencies to choose from. The key is finding one that will work as an extension of your existing team, rather than as their own separate entity.

Speak to various agencies to get a feel for their methods and decide from there which are best suited to your needs. Get quotes where possible and don’t feel guilty about shopping around before making a commitment. You’re going to be working closely with your choice of web content agency, so it’s important that the fit is just right.

Now that you’ve chosen the right web content agency for you, the next step is working together to plan some fresh and exciting content for your business.

To discover more about the full range of web content services that WooContent offers, get in touch today.